title: Three-dimensional configuration of orientated fibers as guidance structures for cell migration and axonal growth.
abstract: Peripheral nerve injuries can be surgically repaired by suturing the transected nerve stumps or, in case of larger lesions, by the transplantation of an autologous nerve graft. To avoid donor site morbidity, the development of artificial implants is desired. Clinically, hollow conduits have been used for this purpose but are inferior to the autograft because they lack internal guidance cues for Schwann cells and regenerating axons. In this article, we describe the design of a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold consisting of parallel fibers embedded in a collagen matrix. For this purpose, an electrospinning device was developed to produce and manipulate a 3D array of aligned poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) microfibers. This fiber array was then incorporated into biodegradable PCL tubes to serve as artificial nerve bridges. Using primary cultures of embryonic chicken dorsal root ganglia, we show that PCL microfibers in the 3D matrix of our composite scaffold guide the direction of Schwann cell migration and axonal growth.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologie II, RWTH Aachen, Germany; EURON Graduate School of Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kriebel
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rumman
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheld
authors.forename: Dorothee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hodde
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brook
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mey
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000293:injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; C016240:polycaprolactone; D003094:Collagen
keywords: artificial implants; biomaterials; electrospinning; extracellular matrix; growth factors; peripheral nerve; regeneration